Porsche 911 Turbo S Cabriolet

Fourth Place: Lords of Envy

This 911 Turbo S may not be the fastest car in the group (with the second-highest power-to-weight ratio after the Aston), but it does boast a convertible top that has been wind-tunnel-tested to 210 mph. That's comforting in a car that builds speed with the determination this car shows. Despite having the lowest horsepower in this test, the Porsche's 0-to-60-mph time of 4.0 seconds was second quickest. It would probably have been even faster were it not for the serious rear-wheel hop that occurs just about at the point of maximum hookup.

A concerted high-intensity thrust in each gear is achieved without any fuss and is accompanied by a roar like a jet on full afterburner, with an overlay of that resonant exhaust blare so familiar from 40 years' worth of racing 911s. Surprisingly, the Turbo S is the third-heaviest car here, due in part to its all-wheel-drive system and steel bodywork. But it never feels anything other than fast and responsive.

Another surprise: The Porsche felt quite lively and communicative. We remember the car's being almost sterile in comparison to a Ferrari 360 Modena it competed against in an earlier engagement. Perhaps it's just the passage of years, but the somewhat jiggly ride and tendency to dart off-course at high speed contradicted our earlier impressions. True to Swabian form, the Porsche has taut, well-damped controls and responds best to deliberate inputs.

The proximity of the windshield and the short nose with its prominent fender bulges lend the driver a pleasant sense of intimacy with the car, and even if the dashboard retains that old blob-on-a-log design, its textures and color scheme have been vastly improved. Without the handsome new classmates in this group, the Porsche might seem to be all any enthusiast could wish for.

But there are the inevitable shortcomings of a rear-engine design. We ran the Turbo S through our lane-change test several times with the Porsche Stability Management (PSM) switched on. Once we'd established a baseline, we switched it off. One run with the system off was enough. Although the 911's handling is much improved these days, especially with all-wheel drive, physics cannot be denied. We could almost match the PSM-conducted runs without electronic supervision, but the car felt spooky. Porsche pro driver Hurley Haywood might have done significantly better, but he wasn't around at the time.

Similarly, when we ran timed laps at the Streets, we discovered that the car bobs and pitches a fair amount, preferring a slow-in, fast-out cornering strategy. Because the car is set up to quell oversteer, getting back on the power too early causes the 911 to simply push wide.

The best thing about the Porsche is its everyday driving virtues. There are no fussy frills here. The car starts with a key rather than a button — albeit the key slot is left of the wheel — and it performs much like a regular car. You don't worry about driveway ramps. You can see out the back. There's enough space for tall drivers, and getting in and out isn't a limbo dance.

Verdict:

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